The Straitjacket is my new favorite iPhone case

Loop Attachment is famous for making some of the best silicone cases you can buy for iOS devices, but the company’s latest effort for the iPhone 5/5s is a little different. It looks a lot like Loop’s Mummy lineup and carries over some of those cases’ greatest strengths, but it’s made from a mixture of rigid polycarbonate and soft polyurethane.

It’s called the Straitjacket, and it aims to provide your iPhone with excellent impact protection without completely covering its aluminum chassis and iconic Apple logo. It doubles as a credit card holder; provides full access to all buttons, ports and switches; and comes in a number of pretty colors.

What’s more, it’s the best Loop case yet for the iPhone.

The Good

The Straitjacket is wonderfully thin and light.

What’s great about the Straitjacket is that, like Loop’s other cases, it’s incredibly protective. Its two-tone design provides a robust bumper around the edges of your device, plus plenty of protection on its back and around the display. It will bounce when you drop it instead of breaking.

But despite all that protection, the Straitjacket leaves some of your iPhone intentionally exposed with its unique Mummy-like design that consists of a few simple straps of polyurethane that sit across the back of your device. They leave your handset’s Apple logo and iPhone branding on show, and double as a credit card holder for when you want to leave your wallet at home.

Simply slip a credit card in between the straps and the back of your iPhone and it’s with you whenever you need it. You can actually fit two inside, but it becomes a little tight and makes the cards difficult to remove, so I suggest just carrying one.

Bear in mind, however, that slipping credit cards into the Straitjacket could scratch your iPhone. I’ve been careful and I haven’t had any issues with mine yet, but all it takes is a bit of grit on the back of your card and you could be left with a nasty gouge in your iPhone’s aluminum.

Size and weight are some of the Straitjacket’s best features. Not only does it hardly weigh a thing, but it’s also thin, so it doesn’t make your iPhone too bulky. This is the Straitjacket’s biggest advantage over the Mummy, which has thick silicone sides that can feel a little too thick.

The Straitjacket can make it difficult to use thick, third-party Lightning cables.

The Bad

The Straitjacket’s unique design looks terrific on your iPhone, but you’ll need to remember it doesn’t completely protect the back of your device. Drops on flat surfaces shouldn’t be a problem, but rocky terrain could do some damage. Of course, carrying a credit card almost eliminates this issue by covering the back of your device.

My only other gripe with this case is its opening for the iPhone’s Lightning port, and I said the same about the Mummy. It’s very small, and while an original Apple Lightning cable fits just fine, third-party ones with thicker ends do not, forcing you to pop the bottom end of your device out of the case to charge it.

The Verdict

I loved the Mummy case for iPhone, and while I’d still recommend it to anyone looking for a silicone solution, the Straitjacket is by far my favorite — I haven’t taken it off my iPhone since the day it landed on my doorstep. It’s protective, practical and looks fantastic, and it isn’t too big or too heavy. It’s also nicely priced at $35.

Straightjacket by Loop ($34.95)The good: Looks great; offers strong protection from impacts; carries your credit card.The bad: Could allow the back of your iPhone to get damaged.The verdict: My new favorite iPhone case. I haven’t taken it off since the day it arrived, and I highly recommend it.Buy from:Loop